Labour Statistics

Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how
many adult males were employed in the United Kingdom in (a) 1964 and (b)
1993.

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Miss Widdecombe : In June 1964 there were 16,488,000 males in the
work force in employment in the United Kingdom, compared to 13, 718,000 in
June 1993. Over the same period, female numbers rose from 8,444,000 to
11,520,000.

Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how
many married women were employed in the United Kingdom in (a) 1964 and (b)
1993.

Miss Widdecombe : The estimate for spring 1993 from the labour force
survey for the United Kingdom is that 8.4 million married women were in
employment.

There are no equivalent LFS estimates before 1979, but the census of
population held in 1966 shows 5 million married women in employment in the
United Kingdom.

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Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how
many men between the ages of 18 and 45 years were unemployed in 1993.

Miss Widdecombe : In the United Kingdom, in 1993, the average level
of claimant unemployment, unadjusted for seasonal effects, stood at
1,700,561 among men aged between 18 and 44--the closest available age
group.

Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how
many people in the London boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham and
Tower Hamlets between the ages of 18 and 25 years are in (a) further
education, (b) Government employment training schemes and (c) currently
unemployed.

Miss Widdecombe : The available information for individual boroughs,
which does not cover participants in Government training schemes, is given
in the table :

Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how
many people in the London borough of Southwark have found employment in the
last 12 months ; and how many of these jobs were (a) full-time and (b) part
-time or job share.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : Information held centrally relates only to the
number of people placed into jobs by the Employment Service jobcentres and
numbers of people leaving claimant unemployment. Between April 1993 and
April 1994 jobcentres covering the Southwark area placed 9,591 people into
employment. Nineteen out of 20 of all the jobcentre vacancies filled in
Southwark during this period were for full-time jobs and the remainder for
part-time. It should be noted that, nationally, only about one quarter of
all engagements are made through jobcentres. Figures are not available for
job-share vacancies.

In the Southwark local authority area the unadjusted number of people
leaving claimant unemployment between April 1993 and April 1994 was 24,198.
Information is not routinely available on the destinations of claimants who
leave unemployment. However, past survey evidence indicates that the
majority of people who leave claimant unemployment go into jobs.

Psychometric Testing

Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what
use his Department makes of psychometric testing techniques ; what plans he
has to extend the use of psychometric testing techniques in his Department
; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Department's main use of psychometric
tests is in the individual assessment of the capabilities of people with
disabilities by placing, assessment and counselling teams. Where tests are
used,

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performance then forms part of the basis for
counselling and action planning to support people's efforts to find
employment. Internally, the Department uses psychometric tests to a limited
extent in its management development programmes.

Providers with whom the Department contracts to deliver services to
unemployed people may choose to use psychometric tests. Guidance is made
available through a regularly updated, "Review of Psychometric Tests for
Assessment in Vocational Training" ; this authorative publication was
initiated by the Department and is now maintained by the British
Psychological Society.

The Department has no plans to extend the use of psychometric tests as
such, but will do so where they offer a cost-effective addition to the
basis for decisions.

Public Consultation

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in what
circumstances it is his Department's practice, when issuing a public
consultation document, to inform those consulted that their responses will
be made public unless they explicitly ask for them to be kept confidential
; and if he will arrange for his Department to do so in all cases in
future.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : Where comments are sought in consultation
exercises, it is already the Department's usual practice to make clear that
they are sought on the understanding that they can be made publicly
available unless respondents have requested that their remarks be treated
as confidential.

North Yorkshire TEC

Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what
was the administration cost of the North Yorkshire training and enterprise
council for 1993-94.

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Miss Widdecombe : During the 1993-94 financial year, the North
Yorkshire training and enterprise council received a management fee from
the Employment Department of £1,460,995. The administrative costs of
the TEC will be shown in its audited accounts which will be published
shortly.

Training

Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the
total expenditure on (a) employment training and (b) youth training in 1993
within the Greater London area ; and how many (i) men and (ii) women were
on such schemes.

Miss Widdecombe : Table 1 shows the total expenditure on training
for work, which replaced employment training in 1993 and youth training in
1993 within the Greater London area. Information on the number of men and
women on YT and TFW is not available in the format requested. Table 2,
however, shows how many men and women started on these schemes throughout
1993.

Table 1
Total expenditure 1993-94 contract year
(Provisional)
|£
-------------------------------------------------------------
Youth Training |47,960,837
Youth Credits |9,958,616
Total Youth Training and Youth Credits |57,919,453
Training for Work |60,036,946
Notes:
1. The 1993-94 Contract Year is 1 April 1993 to 31 March
1994.
2. The expenditure figure is provisional and may be revised.
Training and Enterprise Councils have 4 accounting periods (
an accounting period is 4 weeks) in which to bring to
account expenditure relating to their 1993-94 contract.
3. From 29 March 1993 Training for Work replaced Employment
Training, Employment Action and High Technology National
Training. Training for Work offers people who are long term
unemployed the opportunity to improve and update skills or
learn new ones, or to do temporary work of benefit to the
community.

Table 2
Trainee starts during the 1993-94 contract year
|Male |Female
------------------------------------------------------------
Youth Training |9,640 |6,912
Youth Credits |3,781 |2,778
Total Youth Training and Youth Credits |13,421|9,690
Training for Work |27,057|18,916
Note: Youth Credits is a system which gives school leavers
an entitlement usually in the form of a voucher or
smart-card' with a specific monetary value, to purchase
vocational training from employers or training providers.

Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, (1)
pursuant to his answer of 21 March, Official Report, column 50, about the
destinations of youth trainees by training and enterprise council area, if
he will update the table to cover the period July 1992 to June 1993 ;

(2) pursuant to his answer of 21 March, Official Report, column 50, about
qualifications obtained by employment training and training for work
leavers, if he will update the table to cover the period July 1992 to June
1993 ;

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(3) pursuant to his answer of 21 March,
Official Report, column 50, about the destination of employment training
and training for work trainees, if he will update the table to cover the
period July 1992 to June 1993 ;

(4) pursuant to his answer of 21 March, Official Report , column 50 , about
the destination of youth trainees, if he will update the tables to cover
the period July 1992 to June 1993 ;

(5) pursuant to his answer of 21 March, Official Report , column 50 , about
the destinations of employment training and training for work leavers in
each training and enterprise council area, if he will update the table to
cover the period July 1992 to June 1993 ; (6) pursuant to his answer of 21
March, Official Report , column 50 , about the qualifications obtained by
employment training and training for work leavers in each training and
enterprise council area, if he will update the table to cover the period
July 1992 to June 1993.

Miss Widdecombe : As the information is contained in a number of
tables, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my reply in the
Library.

Modern Apprenticeship Scheme

Mr. Simpson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what wage
rates trainees on the modern apprenticeship scheme will receive ; and how
long an apprenticeship will last.

Miss Widdecombe : Wage rates will be a matter between the employer
and the young person, reflecting the employer's investment in the training
and the expectation of the young person of improved wage rates later on.
Modern apprenticeships are not time bound ; there will be flexible
arrangements for the time individuals need to become qualified, which could
by three years or longer.

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment
what industries and types of work are to be covered by the modern
apprenticeship scheme as set out in the "Competitiveness : Helping Business
to Win" White Paper ; and what has been the change in the number of jobs in
these areas since 1979.

Miss Widdecombe : The modern apprenticeships initiative will make a
major contribution to Britain's skill supply by providing young people with
high quality training in technical, craft, supervisory and junior
management occupations across a wide range of sectors. The intention is
that from September 1995 the modern apprenticeship initiative will cover
all sectors, but prototypes will run in the following sectors from
September 1994 : agriculture, business administration, chemicals, child-
care, electrical installation, engineering manufacturing, engineering
construction, information technology, marine engineering, Merchant Navy,
polymers, retail, steel and travel service.

Information about changes in the number of jobs in these areas is not
available in the form and for the period requested. The basis on which
occupational information is collected was changed in 1989. The table
provides estimates of the numbers of people working in these occupations
for spring 1993 and spring 1991, the earliest date for which comparable
data are available :

Should the hon. Member require information about the earlier period between
1979 and 1989, I will send it to him and place a copy in the Library.

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment
what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) low pay and (b) job
insecurity on skills levels in the areas covered by the modern
apprenticeship scheme.

Miss Widdecombe : Lack of skills often leads to low-paid insecure
jobs. By gaining high-quality, relevant skills, young people can improve
their employment and earnings prospects. Modern apprenticeships and
accelerated modern apprenticeships will help 70, 000 young people a year to
attain such skills.

Unrealistic pay levels for young people would result in reduced employment
and poorer opportunities.

Health and Safety

Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant
to his oral statement of 24 May, Official Report , column 197 , what is his
estimate of the cost of implementing the recommendations contained in the
Health and Safety Commission's "Review of Regulations" report.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Health and Safety Commission's "Review of
Regulations" is intended to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of
the regulatory regime. Most of what needs to be done lies within the
commission's existing remit, and builds on the approach that it has taken
over the past 20 years. The commission has advised me that it will begin to
implement its proposals and recommendations on the basis of its existing
public expenditure provision ; but the matter will be kept under review.

Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill

Mr. Alan Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what
percentage of the total recurrent costs of employment in the private and
public sectors are the estimates of £75 million and £20.4 million
costs to private and public sector employers, respectively, given in the
compliance cost assessment in respect of the Civil Rights (Disabled
Persons) Bill.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : Information on the total costs of employment
in the public and private sectors is not available.

Structural Unemployment

Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what
he considers to be the current level of structural unemployment in London ;
and what assessment he has made of the trend of changes in this level.

Column 414

Mr. Michael Forsyth : There is no generally recognised and commonly
used definition of structural unemployment.

European Social Fund

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what
progress has been made in negotiations with the European Union for the
utilisation of Britain's allocation of money under the European social fund
objective 3.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The European Commission opened formal
negotiations on the United Kingdom objective 3 plan on 27 April.
Subsequently, there have been two further negotiating meetings. The United
Kingdom has consistently pressed for speedy progress and will continue to
do so.

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for
what purposes he is using objective 3 money from the European social fund.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Great Britain plan for European social
fund objective 3 in 1994-99 outlines the purposes for which the Government
propose to use the money. A copy of this document is in the Library. The
plan has not yet been agreed by the European Commission.

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment,
pursuant to his answer of 3 May, Official Report , column 428 , for what
reasons he decided not to use any of Britain's allocation of European
social fund money for objective 4.

Civil Servants (Outside Appointments)

Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many
job offers were reported by staff in his Department under the requirements
of the rules on the acceptance of outside appointments in each of the last
10 years by (a) staff of grade 3 and above, (b) staff below grade 3, (c)
staff in sections concerned with procurement or contract work, under
section 15 of the rules of 1 February 1993 and (d) staff in other sections,
under section 14 ; and how many of these reports were followed by an
application to join the company concerned.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information requested is not readily
available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Private Investigation Services

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant
to his answer of 11 May, Official Report, column 166, how much his
Department has spent

Column 415

on private investigation services during the
last two years ; if he will list those companies which have been employed
by his Department during this period ; what safeguards his Department took
to ensure that these agencies were members of the Association of British
Investigators ; and what guidelines are currently in operation within his
Department as regards this matter.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : In the last two years, the Employment Service
has twice instructed solicitors to use private investigation services as
detailed in the previous answer of 11 May 1994, Official Report, column
166. In the first case, the cost to the ES from the private solicitor was
£75. In the second case, the ES has not yet been billed by the
Treasury Solicitor ; the cost is estimated to be £100. In both cases
the solicitors who engaged the investigation agencies were responsible for
ensuring that they were reputable.

LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

Public Consultation

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Lord President of the Council in what
circumstances it is his Department's practice, when issuing a public
consultation document, to inform those consulted that their responses will
be made public unless they explicitly ask for them to be kept confidential
; and if he will arrange for his Department to do so in all cases in
future.

Mr. Newton : The Privy Council Office does not normally issue public
consultation documents. Any future exercise would be conducted in
accordance with the code of practice on government information and any
other relevant guidance.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Child Care

Mrs. Roche : To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed,
representing the House of Commons Commission, how many

representations the Commission has received regarding the need for a creche
in the parliamentary estate.

Mr. Beith : In this Parliament the Member answering for the
Commission and the Chairman of the Administration Committee have replied to
24 oral or written questions regarding the provision of child care. A
further six questions to the Commission stand on the Order Paper for oral
reply. In addition, 47 Members have so far added their names to early-day
motion 862.

Legislation (Wales)

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list
each Bill presented to Parliament since 1964 which has proposed setting up
an elected body for Wales, indicating the year of presentation, the
proposer and the final stage at which it arrived.

Mr. Newton : The Scotland and Wales Bill introduced in 1974 was
subsequently lost in the House of Commons in 1976.

The "Wales Bill" introduced in 1977, received Royal Assent on 31 July 1978
and was later repealed in 1979 following a referendum.

Column 416

Information on private Bills and private
Members' Bills can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Office of Gas Supply

Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the President of the Board of Trade
which Minister made the appointment of the Director General of Gas Supply ;
and if he will make a statement on the process involved in the appointment.

Mr. Heseltine : The appointment was made by me in accordance with
section 1 of the Gas Act 1986. External executive search consultants were
employed, and the post was advertised in the national press.

Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if
he will place a copy of the job specification for the Director General of
Gas Supply in the Library.

Mr. Heseltine : I am arranging for a copy of the job specification
given to the executive search consultants to be placed in the Library of
the House.

Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the President of the Board of Trade on
what date the interviews for the appointment of the Director General of Gas
Supply were made.

Mr. Heseltine : The ministerial interviews for the shortlisted
candidates for the appointment of Director General of Gas Supply took place
on 20 and 22 July and on 1 September 1993.

Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the President of the Board of Trade
which company was used in the recruitment of the Director General of Gas
Supply.

Mr. Heseltine : Saxton Bampfylde was appointed as the executive
search consultants in connection with the appointment.

Oil and Gas

Mr. Alton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many of
the blocks on the United Kingdom continental shelf that have been licensed
to oil companies, and have been identified as containing oil and gas
reserves, have remained undeveloped for more than eight years since the
blocks were first licensed ; what are the combined estimated reserves of
those blocks ; and how many blocks lie off the coast of the north-west of
England.

Mr. Eggar : Up until the end of 1985, there are a total of 106
significant discoveries in 87 blocks without development approval. Of these
106 significant discoveries, 15--in 13 blocks--are presently under
discussion for development.

One discovery block of these 91 discoveries is in the north-west area of
England.

Mr. Alton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans
the Government have to encourage oil

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companies to bring forward their development
plans to maintain the level of United Kingdom engineering expertise.

Mr. Eggar : I have frequent discussions with the oil industry to see
whether there are any fiscal measures that can be introduced which will
encourage development.

In addition to this, my officials review with the companies on a regular
basis their programmes for future developments. Where they identify
discoveries with no foreseeable development, the companies are encouraged
to offer them, by sale or swap, to other companies.

Mr. Alton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade under what
circumstances blocks that have been licensed to oil companies can be
confiscated on the grounds that they have not been developed ; and what is
the maximum period a block can be left unexplored or undeveloped before the
Government will take action.

Mr. Eggar : Under the current regulations that govern licences in
seaward areas, licensees are required to submit a development plan within a
period of 18 years if the licence period is to be extended. If there is any
breach or non-observance by the licensees of any terms and conditions of
the licence, including exploration and drilling commitments, the Secretary
of State may revoke the licence.

Mr. Ainger : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will
list those blocks which he considers should never be licensed for oil
exploration because of their environmental sensitivity.

Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 26 May 1994] : I attach great
importance to environmental considerations in the exploration for our oil
and gas reserves, and will continue to do so. Knowledge of environmental
sensitivities is developing over time, as are the methods of addressing
them and the techniques used in exploration. I will, of course, continue to
discuss the offer of blocks with environmental organisations--including the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee--and will take their views into account
when deciding which blocks can be licensed.

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will
give details of the allocation of blocks to companies for oil and gas in
the Irish sea ; and what environmental restrictions have been put on these
companies.

Mr. Eggar : The following operating companies hold licences to
explore for oil and gas in the Irish Sea and develop any finds : Amoco